Kiren Rijiju Slams Rahul Gandhi Over Unpublished Memoir Quote, Warns Against “Playing with National Security”

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday strongly criticised Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for attempting to quote from an unpublished memoir by former Army chief General MM Naravane during parliamentary proceedings.

The remarks came after chaos erupted in the Lok Sabha when Rahul Gandhi sought to read excerpts from Naravane’s memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, which is yet to receive government clearance for publication. The passages reportedly refer to the 2020 Galwan Valley clash in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.

According to ANI, Rijiju cautioned the Congress leader against “playing with national security” and accused him of echoing the language of “anti-India elements.”

“National security is very important. Don’t play with national security by speaking the language of anti-India elements. Don’t turn national security into a political weapon to make damaging statements in Parliament,” Rijiju said, urging people to take “serious note” of issues related to national interest.

‘Above Parliament and Rules’: Rijiju’s आरोप

Referring to the disruption in the House, Rijiju alleged that Rahul Gandhi had violated parliamentary norms by citing material whose publication and authenticity had not been officially confirmed.

“The Defence Minister and all of us said that the House must function as per rules. One cannot challenge the Chair,” Rijiju told ANI, adding that the Congress MP “kept repeating the same mistake.”

He further questioned the Congress party’s past handling of border issues, saying, “He started speaking about the China border. Can the Congress party bring back the landmass captured by China in 1959 and 1962?” Rijiju asked, while demanding that Rahul Gandhi apologise to the nation.

“India is a democratic country and functions as per rules. Rahul Gandhi doesn’t follow any rules. He considers himself above Parliament,” he alleged.

Objections from Government Benches

During the debate, Rahul Gandhi attempted to counter the BJP’s charge that the Congress lacks patriotism by referring to a phrase in the memoir mentioning “Chinese tanks in Doklam.” This prompted an immediate intervention from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Home Minister Amit Shah also objected, asking how Rahul could quote from a book that had not yet been published.

“When the book has not even been published, how can he quote from it?” Shah said.

Following the objections, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla sided with the government and directed Rahul Gandhi to continue his speech without referring to the unpublished material.